Chap. I. 
George An son, Efq; 
33. After relating fo many TranfaAions in the Port of 
Canton , it may be expedited, that we fhould enter here into a 
particular' Defcription of it, that the Reader may the better 
apprehend what we have delivered with relation to this 
Voyage : But, that we may preferve as great Propriety as 
poffible, and that Regard which is due to the general Me- 
thod of this Work, we fhall confine ourfelves at prefent to 
the Province of §)uang-tong, and the Capital thereof ; and 
not run out into a Defcription of China in general, or of the 
Chinefe Nation, becaufe we fhall be obliged to treat thefe 
Subjects largely in another Place. The Province of hfuang- 
tong lies in the South Part of the Empire of China , and is 
one of the moil beautiful and fruitful Countries of that no- 
ble Empire. It is bounded on the North-Eaft by the 
Province of Fo-kien *, on the North by that of Kiang-Ji 
on the Weft by that of Bfuang-Ji, and the Kingdom of 
T ong-king ; and on every other Side by the Sea. Before 
we (peak of the Divifion of this Country, it is abfolutely 
neceffary to obferve, that the Chinefe divide each of their 
Provinces into certain Diftrifts, in each of which there is a 
City of the firft Order, which, in their Language, is called 
Foil. This Divifion feems to referable that of our Ridings 
in Torkjhire : Thefe are again fub-divided into Dill rifts, 
which have each of them a City of the fecond Order, which 
they call Tcheou %, and thefe again, which feem to refera- 
ble our Hundreds, into leffer Parts, the Head of which is 
a Town of the third Order, called by them Hien which 
Divifions anfwer to our ' Ty things. In every Province 
therefore there is a Metropolis, a certain Number of Towns 
of the firft Order, equal to the Diftridts ; and fo of the fe- 
cond and third. 
The Province of Ffuang-tong is divided into Ten Fou : 
The firft of which is that which the Europeans call Canton , 
and which the Chinefe write hfuang-tcheou-fou •, which is at 
once the Metropolis of the Province, and the Head of a 
Diftrict ; in which there is one City of the fecond Order, 
and fixteen Towns of the third : The whole Province com- 
prehending ten Cities of the firft Order, and eighty-four 
Towns of the fecond and third. The Country is finely 
diverfified into Mountains and Valleys ; the latter fo fruit- 
ful, that they produce two Crops of Corn every Year. 
There is no Province in China that abounds in richer Com- 
modities than this, in which are found Precious Stones of 
all Sorts, fine Pearls, Gold, Q^ckfiiver, Copper, Iron, 
Steel, Tin, Saltpetre, Sugar, Silk, Ebony, and other rich 
Woods. There is likewife a prodigious Quantity of all 
Sorts of fine Fruit, and the Sea on its Coaft abounds with a 
Variety.bf fine Fifh, and with Tortoifcs of a prodigious Size 
of the Shells of which the Chinefe make all Sorts of Toys 
The fupreme Governor of this Province, or, as the Chine], 
call him, Tfong-tou , has alfo the Province of Quang-fi unde: 
his Jurifdiction, and therefore his ordinary Residence is a 
T 'chalking, which is the City of this Province neareft tc 
Quang-fi ; and he refides there, that he may attend with th< 
greater Facility to the Affairs of both Provinces. 
The City of Canton , which is one of the richefl and bef 
peopled in the whole Empire, Hands on the noble Rivei 
Fa- ho, which rifes in the Province of Ffuang-fi, and fall: 
into the Ocean a little below this City, where it is wide 
enough to admit Ships of large Burden, notwithstanding 
the many Canals that are cut from it into the adjacent Pro- 
vinces. The Mouth of it, which the Chinefe <zI\llou-rnen. 
or the Gulph of Tygers, is commanded by two Forts, that 
are, however, of no great Strength ; but ferve well enough 
to defend the City, and the Country adjoining, from the 
Ravages of the Chinefe Pirates, for which they are chiefly 
intended. 
t When the Tartars invaded and conquered China , this 
City made a noble Defence : The Siege lafted for nine 
Months, and the Tartars loft 100,000 Men •, and it might 
have held out much longer ; for there was a numerous Ga- 
rifbn, and no Want of Provifions, the Port remaining open. 
But the Chinefe Governor was ftrongly tinftured with the 
\ ices or his Country, Cowardice and Cunning •, and, ap- 
piehenuing that his h amily , if the City fhould be taken, 
would pe expofed to the Fury of thofe barbarous Enemies, 
: he made a private Treaty with the Tartars, and moft per- 
fidioufiy. opened two Gates in the Night, by which the 
Tartars entered ITorfe and Foot, and burnt and deftfoyed 
every thing without Mercy.. 
The Walls are pretty high towards the River y but on 
the Eaft Side, as the Ground is hilly, the Walls are lower : 
The whole Extent of them is about ten or twelve Miles, 
but then there are large Spaces, on the Eaft and South 
Sides efpecially, in which there are only Gardens and 
Summer-houfes. There is a large Building of Timber on 
the higheft of the little Hills to the Eaft, that Hands clofe 
to the Wall, and bears the Name of the King's Banqueting-, 
honfs : It is four Story high, Supported with great Fir- 
Malts, very finely painted with Vermilion and Japan, and 
gilded, as are all the Walls and Cielings within it : From 
it may be had a very, fair Profpeft of the City and Suburbs. 
The Suburbs are fo large, that fotne of them look like 
Cities •, half the Number of Houfes built in the Garden- 
plats would fill them up, and all other vacant Places in the 
Town. There are many fcately Buildings in the City of 
Canton , and : above a dozen triumphal Arches in fever al 
Places of the City, and a great Number of Temples well 
ftockYi with Images. The Italian Church makes an hand- 
fome Figure, but the French Chapel is but mean on the 
Outfide. At prefent this great City is fo divided, that it 
forms, as it were, three different Towns, each of which is 
furrounded with Walls, with Gates, at proper Diftances, 
and all together they make a Sort of a long Square. The 
Houfes of private People are but very indifferent ; but the 
Palaces of their Mandarins are large and beautiful, with 
fpacious Courts. Their Streets are very long, ftrait, and 
neatly kept. All the Houfes that front towards them, have 
Shops, before which there {lands a Pedeftal, on the Top of 
which there is a Board painted or gilt, with the Tradefman’s 
Name, or Sign, with the Names of two or three of the prin- 
cipal Commodities in which he deals ; and at the Bottom 
are generally thefe two Words, Pou-hou \ which is as much 
as to fay, that this Tradefman never cheats ; or, to tranflate 
it literally, the Infcription may be thus read, Pou-hou , i. e. 
No Fraud. This double Row of Sign-polls, if we may 
be allowed fo familiar an Expreffion, > has a very good Ef- 
fect on the Eye, and may be juftly reckoned not only the 
chief Beauty of this Place, but of all the great Cities in 
China. 
The Streets of Canton are, in the Day-time, continually 
crouded. Perrons in eafy Circumftances are carried about 
in Chairs •, but the ordinary Sort of People, and efpecially 
the Porters, for, by the way, there is no other Carriage in 
Ufe here but Mens Shoulders, are very poorly dreffed, their 
Legs and Feet quite naked, and their Heads uncovered, if 
it be fair Weather ; but, if it be very hot, they have mon- 
ftrous large Straw Hats, to defend them from the Heat of 
the Sun. In the Night, however, this, like all the other 
great Cities of China , is as ftili and quiet as any of our 
Country Villages \ which is owing to the Stri&nefs of their 
Government, every Street having a Barrier at the End of 
it, which is locked every Evening, foon after the City- 
gates are (hut, fo that every body mull take care to be at 
home in good Time. The River is covered on both Sides 
with an infinite Number of Veffeis of all Sizes, moft of 
which belong to Fifhermen, and are their foie Habitations. 
Every Bark lodges a Family, fo that this may be confidered 
as a Kind of floating Town. The poor People who live 
in thefe Veffeis, go out early every Morning to fifh, or to 
work in the Rice-fields, which, as we before obferved, 
produce two Crops every Year. As to the Number of 
People in Canton , all Writers agree, that it is very great. 
The French Miffionaries fay, that it is as large and as po- 
pulous as Paris, and then tell us that it contains a Million 
of Souls ; which Accounts, to fuch as are Judges of thefe 
Matters, do not feem to agree. A Britifh Subjeft has made 
another, and more reafonable Computation, founded on the 
Confumption of Rice in that City ; in refpeft to which he 
argues thus : There are 10,000 Pecuis of Rice daily ufed 
in Canton, and it is known by Experience, that a Pecul of 
Rice will laft a Perfon, one with another, three Months ; fo 
that if this Computation be juft, the Number of People in 
the City may be about 900,000 , and this is certainly a 
prodigious Number, confidering how many great Cities 
there are in China, 
The 
